Earlier to the submission of the papers, Mr Rai visited Rosario Cathedral, Kudroli temple and Ullal Dargah and participated in Congress convention held at Town Hall. Later Rai went in procession to file his nomination at the DC office.

Senior Congress leader B Janardhana Poojary spoke on the occasion and said, “I am confident that Mithun Rai will win the election. If Mithun Rai faces defeat, then I will stop going to temples, mosques and churches.”

U T Khader addressed the gathering and said, “Time has come to make Mithun Rai our MP and defeat our inactive MP Nalin Kumar Kateel. Mithun Rai is a youth icon and we should make him victorious and make Rahul Gandhi as our Prime Minister. No eye can witness any proper work executed by our MP in the last 10 years,” he pointed out.

“We urge BJP to face direct election instead of spreading false messages in social media. We are not left wing or right wing but we are straight wing,” he added.

Mithun Rai spoke on the occasion and said Right now I am very emotional and short of words. I am always grateful to the people who blessed me and made me to reach this height. Leaders of Congress including Ramanath Rai, U T Khader and others took me to Delhi and recommended my name as a youth icon to contest in the upcoming elections. This district is my house and people are like my family. I will not do any work that will embarrass the people of the district. Mithun Rai has not stood for elections but voice of youth has stood for elections. We have given opportunity to BJP in the last 25 years. Give me one opportunity. I will try my best to stop Vijaya Bank merger and make sure jobs are created for the youth. I urge all the party representatives to work for me for the next 25 days. And for the next five years I will work for you,” he assured.